Yahooooooo!!!!! I have WS stuff starting. Mind you, it's only little white root radicles starting to show, and they're too small yet for my camera - LOL I'll bet they're a whole mm in length, but it's starting! I have Callistephus chinensis 'Pavlova Dark Blue', Viola x wittrockiana 'Ultima Morpho', and Lavatera trimestris 'Ruby Regis'.
--Ginny
*** Winter Sowing Show and Tell ***
Congrats Ginny!
My alyssum is germinating...
Joanne
Hey guys, I am jealous to see that you have sprouts. Been too busy lately to get in here and post so I will comment on a couple of things from above.
Joanne - The end of March, first of April is when I have seen my first sprouts in the past. I don't really sow many annuals until about now and over next few weeks so I am not dealing with the tender ones right away.
I leave my containers covered until it warms up a bit. I have my containers on the ground on the north (shaded) side of a hedge so that I can leave the lids on longer and I don't have to be so worried about frying those babies in the sun. Also, later on when I do uncover them I also don't have to be so concerned about the containers drying out. After I have the lids off and if the forecast is for serious freezing temps I will cover overnight but they are tough already and can survive more than you would think. I have a portable greenhouse that I put my sprouted containers into so that I can zip up a bunch of containers at once instead of fussing with individual lids.
Can't wait to see my first green....
Susan
I think I'm going to start pouting; nothing is starting in my containers yet! Maybe I should cheat, and stick them in the greenhouse, hehe.
3Gardeners, Your pond sounds like it was very interesting :) I'm horrible with fish, they actualy live longer if I completly neglect them.
Ginny and Joanne, Congrats on the sprouts! I just love seeing the pictures!
I've also got more sprouts :) HeHe :) Danish Flag Poppy and 'Siberian Blue' Dianthus.
I can't beleive my WS seeds are sprouting! For a while I thought nothing was going to germ...
The clarkia has also gotten quite a bit bigger. The dianthus is too small to take a decent pic...
Steven
Here's the Danish Flag Poppy....or it might be a california poppy, I lost the names on them when I moved the lumps of frozen soil from blue to clear ziplock bags...
Nice to see that Alyssum Joanne! Susan, Erynne - don't pout yet. It could happen for you any day now! Steven - yours are popping up like popcorn now it seems :-)
I have a few more to report. We had an overnight low of 10 degrees last night and a high today of 19, so things are trying real hard for me! Once again, just tiny root radicles - but I'll take it :-) Found today were:
o Papaver somniferum (var. unknown)
o Callistephus chinensis 'Hulk' (Hulk Lime Green Aster)
o Nicotiana hyb. 'Perfume Deep Purple' (Flowering Tobacco)
o Dianthus chinensis 'Velvet 'n Lace'
o Thymus serpyllum 'Magic Carpet' (Creeping Thyme)
o Illiamna rivularis (Mountain Hollyhock)
There were a couple others that I wasn't sure if I saw root radicles or not, so I won't record them until I am sure. Oh yeah! What came out to greet me on my return home this evening? My crocus in my front lawn in full glorious bloom :-)
--Ginny
A single sprout in my Clarkia container today; far too small to photograph. My glee in any WS sprouts is about to be cut short; they're forecasting 10 -15 cm of snow for us tonight. This weather is getting old...On the plus side, I guess, is I can continue to put out milk jugs of seeds and still call is Winter sowing. LOL. Sniff. Waaahh!
Oh yeah, bought a bunch more seeds today, including more alyssum; I think I want another batch of alyssum just in case my early germinated batch doesn't make it.
Joanne
Wow, yours are coming really fasy too Ginny!
We're forcast for another day of warm weather tomorrow, so hopefully more sprouts!
The other day I saw little nubby white roots on the 'Royal Ensign' dwarf morning glory.
Erynne, Susan, Your day is coming fast! Don't give up! :)
Steven
When I get home today, there better be something going in those containers!! Hmph!
Today is so warm eh!
ginny, yay, you're growing Velvet 'n' Lace! I love that one!
Here's mine under the lights; sprouted in two days. (I know it's not winter sowing sprouts, but I gotta show and tell something!!!)
Very nice Erynne! I've never seen 'Velvet 'n' Lace before, I'll have to look it up.
Today when I got back from work, the first thing I do is check my WS sprouts....even before I go in the house....I have more sprouts!
Yarrow 'The Pearl'
and several others that are unmarked....I should have bought that paint marker....
Steven
Susan, when have you normally seen the first WS sprouts in previous years? Maybe all of us reporting sprouts in the balmy south has just made you antsy to see some of your own - and it isn't really time for them yet?
Hey Erynne - did you find anything when you got home? Yes I love Velvet 'n Lace too. It's my second year for it, originally from seed echoes sent me.
Well another balmy night last night (low 8) and a gorgeous sunny high of 18 today have brought about more little miracles :-) Everything previously reported as having sprouted root radicles only now has tiny little leaves - except for the Creeping Thyme and Mountain Hollyhock. Newly sprouted today are:
o Dianthus knappii 'Yellow Harmony'
o Malva sylvestris 'Zebrina' (roots only)
o Nepeta parnassica (Greek Catmint - roots only) - from your seed Susan!
o Lavatera trimestris 'Silver Cup'
o Oryzopsis hymenoides (Indian Rice Grass - roots only)
o Coreopsis tinctoria (red)
I'm going to try to resist checking the containers again until Friday or Saturday. That way I can hopefully see more tangible results the next time I look, rather than little teensy root radicles and just barely peeking out of the seed coat leaves :-) Maybe even something I can get a picture of.
--Ginny
Ginny, my first sprouts have been the end of March, first of April. And yes I am anxious. Nothing to report as of the weekend and today we had a dump of heavy wet snow that I want to leave on my containers for moisture. As soon as that's gone and I get home in the daylight I will be checking (and hopefully reporting...).
Glad to see some of my nepeta seeds sprouting - I am always nervous whether or not seeds I have collected from my own plants are viable. Maybe not this year but next year make sure you leave lots of room for that one! I winter sowed it two years ago and last year it grew to almost 5 feet tall (I am treating this one more like a shrub). I got the seed in a trade with a lady in the UK.
Keep on sprouting,
Susan
Ginny, YESSSSSS!!!!!! I ran right to my containers when I got home and there were my little Shirley Poppy babies, all a sprouting.
Now I'm just waiting on:
Adlumia fungosa
Agastache foeniculum
Anchusa azurea
Asclepias incarnata Ice Ballet white
Asclepias incarnata Soulmate pink
Callistephus chinensis Aster Pavlova Dark Blue
Carex pendula
Catananche caerula
Cimicifuga racemosa Brunette
Delphinium grandiflora Tom Pouce Snow White
Dianthus gratianopolitanus spotty
Digitalis purpurea Mix
Echinacea purpurea Pink
Lavatera trimestris Ruby Regis
Lupinus polyphyllus Russell Mix
Penstemon glaber
Phlomis tuberosa Amazone
Phlox paniculata
Primula pulverulenta
Rudbeckia hirta double form
Verbasum chaixii Album
Okay, I feel better now ;p
Excellent Erynne! Glad to see you finally have some sprouts :-)
Thanks for the info on the mature size of this monster catmint Susan. I especially like knowing the history of where the seed came from. I think I know exactly where it should go in my garden. I know what you mean about being anxious when you have traded your own seeds. I know I usually dmail the recipient if I haven't heard anything by the end of May or so, offering to replace the seeds if they don't seem to be viable.
--Ginny
Checked milk jugs tonight: tiny sprouts of Bellis, Bachelor's Button & Shirley Poppy. Hee hee hee. Look at me. In Zone 3. I'm as happy as can be. Oh dear, where did that come from?
Joanne N.
:-) Poetry in motion.......it comes from a happy heart.
--Ginny
Oh yeah - Forgot to mention that the cooler temperatures yesterday slowed down germination in my WS containers. Only one new one to report - Cosmos bipinnatus 'Double Click'.
Didn't I say that I wasn't going to check my containers again until Friday or Saturday? Ohhhhhh I am so weak :-)
Hey Steven - what happened? No new sprouts to report yesterday?
--Ginny
Ginny, you are too kind. Most would say I might be cracking up. LOL. Which may indeed be the case. This on -again off-again spring that we have in Calgary is enough to crack anyone up. It's supposed to get to 11C today, and then snow is forecast again for Sunday. Did the same thing last week. Whine whine whine.
Joanne
Hi Ginny, I've got a few new ones, Dahlia 'Fireworks Mix' from T&M and California Poppy 'Tropical Sunset' from Renne's Garden there's also another one thats been in the process of sprouting fo a couple days, but no idea what it could be. I even went through all my seeds to see if I could find a match......
Steven
Yarrow, Phalecia, & Clarkia all have a few wee sprouts today. Woo hoo.
Joanne
Finally found some backbone and did *NOT* check my containers last night. Of course, it helps that I got home later than normal so I was rushed just getting all my chores done :-)
I'll be starting the last of my indoor seeds this weekend. A big long list of them. And, a friend gave me a string of Variegated Spider Plant babies yesterday that I'll need to pot up. Another friend gave me a nice Brugmansia cutting yesterday too. I'll have to wait for the blooms to know for sure whether it is 'Charles Grimaldi' or 'Isabella' though, 'cause she got her cuttings mixed up this year :-) She also dug me up a nice clump of Allium 'Purple Sensation' - it was starting to take over her yard. Don't I have sensational friends?
I also have a few indoor seedlings that need transplanting this weekend, so I'm sure not suffering any lack of gardening and green things right now. So.....why doesn't that seem to matter when your WS containers aren't doing anything? LOL Every time they slow down I get anxious again!
--Ginny
Wow Joanne, you're in 3a and you have all those winter sown sprouts already? I'm impressed! I'm on the border of 5b/6a and still only one container sprouting!
I must look like an idiot out there checking those containers on a daily basis now.....I pretty well stick my eyeball into the top of every jug and stare forever.....then walk away deflated. That's it, I'm not looking again til Monday! It's like watching paint dry for pity's sake,lol.
I'm like you Ginny, in that I'm not lacking for greenery with the indoor starts. They sure do keep me busy in the evenings. What seeds are you starting this weekend (I'm nosy,lol). Our children will be sowing tomatoes and beans this weekend. I don't know if we should be starting them later or if we should've did them earlier but it will be fun for them. They'll also be direct sowing a few things that require a few nips of frost. Should keep them out of trouble ;p
This is I am starting this weekend - just a few of each :-)
o Asclepias curassavica (Scarlet Milkweed)
o Aptenia cordifolia ‘Red Apple‘ (Heart Leaf Ice Plant, Baby Sunrose)
o Tithonia rotundifolia (Mexican Sunflower)
o Eccremocarpus scaber (Chilean Glory Vine)
o Abelmoschus manihot (Palmate-Leaved Hibiscus)
o Amaranthus caudatus ‘Dreadlocks’ (Love-lies-bleeding)
o Pennisetum glaucum (‘Purple Majesty’ Millet)
o Ipomoea nil ‘Scarlett O'Hara’ (Japanese Morning Glory)
o Cosmos sulphureus (Klondike Cosmos, Sulphur Cosmos, Orange Cosmos)
o Tagetes patula 'Bonanza Bolero' (French Marigold)
o Tagetes patula 'Disco Mixed' (French Marigold)
o Layia platyglossa (Tidy Tips)
o Coreopsis 'Mahogany Midget' (Dwarf Red Plains Coreopsis)
o Papaver orientale 'Beauty of Livermere' (Oriental Poppy)
o Papaver lateritium ‘Flore Pleno’ (Armenian Poppy)
o Cynoglossum amabile (Chinese Forget-Me-Not)
o Linaria maroccana ‘Fairy Bouquet’ (Toadflax, Baby Snapdragon)
o Portulaca grandiflora ‘Warm Gold’ (Moss Rose)
o Alyssum maritima procumbens ‘Sweet White’ (Sweet Alyssum)
o Linum grandiflorum 'Rubrum' (Scarlet Flax)
o Yucca filamentosa (Adam’s Needle - lost my earlier seedling, going to try again)
o Cuminum cyminum (Cumin)
o Nigella sativa (Black Cumin, Royal Coriander)
o Cabbage ‘Shelta’ F1 hyb. (Miniature Cabbage - very sweet and tender)
o Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Daydream’ (Common Cosmos, Mexican Aster)
o Ocimum basilicum ‘citriodorum’ (Mrs. Burns Lemon Basil)
o Carum carvi (Carraway)
o Coriandrum sativum (Coriander)
o Abelmoschus esculentus (Burgundy Okra - hibiscus flowers and veggies too!)
Once these start popping up, along with all of the other seedlings I'm tending right now, I will be very busy indeed!
--Ginny
I know Erynne, it's crazy. Hopefully the milk jugs are decent insulators; it really is a bit dangerous for things to be sprouting here yet, as we will still get night temperatures well below freezing. I have 10 milk jugs with little sprouts already (see above postings); most of them are things that would self seed so I'm not as concerned, but there's a few tender guys that I'm worried about. My fault entirely; I was warned not to sow annuals too soon in Zone 3. But hey, to me it's an experiment to see what works in Zone 3, and it's not like it'll break the bank if a milk jug of sprouts ends up freezing. I'm doing some more stuff this weekend, alyssum for sure in case the sprouts I have now don't make it.
Ginny - I check my WS containers EVERY night when I get home from work, and I have been since I started putting them out in February - you are not alone! LOL
Joanne
Woohoo, you're gonna have a very seedy weekend!!! I'd never heard of Tiny Tips before; very cheerful looking.
You're wise to start just a few of each; I tend to sow more seed from one variety, get better germination than I thought I would, and then have to prick the extras out (that's painful).
Joanne, it's great to experiment though because next year, you'll be even better at knowing what works and what doesn't. Plus, like you said, you're not going to take a kick to the pocket book over it. Hey, if you have a few that are super tender, maybe you could throw a blanket over them or put them in the garage temporarily??? No point losing them if you know ahead of time that temps could really take a dip.
The weather people are forecasting wet snow or light snow mid to late next week for us. I'd hoped we were done with the white stuff.
Hi Everyone, I just checked my containers today, first time since Thursday and I've got more sprouts! Gailardia 'Razzledazzle', Calfornia Poppy 'Thai Silk', Dwarf Morning Glory 'Royal Ensign', Iceland Poppy (you think they'd be the first ones up) and then theres some mystery sprouts too.
I'm also finding WS sprouts grow as fast as I've heard.....the Dianthus 'Siberian Blue' hasn't even been up for a week and one of the sprouts already has a true leaf!
BTW, I haven't read any of the recent posts yet or anything cause I just had my 4 wisdom teeth out on Friday. So thats why I haven't replied to anyone else yet :)
Steven
Ouch! I feel for you Steven. I'm surprised you're even online at all yet. Hope you're feeling better soon!
--Ginny
Ouch indeed! That's no fun having them suckers taken out; hope they gave you some of the good stuff to keep the pain under control. When I had mine out, many moons ago, I looked like a beat up chipmunk with bruises all over.
Take it easy Steve!
I wanted to check for sprouts and hopefully join in the show & tell but I woke up to snow today. I didn't want to disturb those sleeping babies under their snow blanket...
Susan
Just a follow-up to yesterday....
Dashing through the snow, in a one-horse open sleigh, over the hills we go, la la la la la.
:(
Joanne
Ok, you Calgarians, I promise I won't complain about not having any action in my containers at all , well at least for today anyway.
Sandy
yep....and I won't complain about all this rain
Thanks for the sympathy :-)
Just wanted to get in on the show and tell one way or another...
Susan, you've got waaaaay more snow than I do. Holy cow. I even was able to find my milk jug of alyssum and can confirm that the little sprouties are still okay. At least I think they are. They're green. Hopefully they don't just stay green when they freeze!
Joanne
Joanne - I even have more snow now! Your little green babies will probably be okay. I have been surprised in the past at just how tough those winter sown sprouts can be.
Susan
Yikes! Talk about your WSing jugs doing a thorough disappearing act! How many inches of snow did you all get in Calgary? We're not done here yet with snow; it's coming again this week supposedly but not to that degree.
I didn't look at the containers all weekend and didn't even bother looking today. I'm waiting til a sunny day when it might be worth taking a peek.
Even more snow over night. I may have caught up to Susan. WS jugs are buried. Sigh.
April showers bring May flowers. April snow will make them grow. Bah humbug.
Joanne
Here's my latest:
105. Thunbergia (Black eyed susan vine)
106. Morning Glory, mix
107. Tomato 'Sweet Baby Girl'
108. Tomato 'Early Girl Hybrid'
109. Poppy, Oriental 'Beauty of Livermere'
110. Poppy lateritium 'Flore Pleno'
111. Sanvitalia (Creeping Zinnia)
112. Zinna haageana 'Persian Carpet Mix'
113. Shrimp Plant (Cerinthe purpurea)
114. Gazania Mix
115. Blue Fescue Grass
116. Balsam
117. Cosmos sulphureus (Orange)
118. Bunny Tail Grass (lagurus ovatus)
Susan